Diva/Mensch pair for Jan 25, 2023

The 1955 Oscar for Best Song went to "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," the theme song for the movie of the same name. The song was a hit for The Four Aces, which never hurts a song's chances of winning an Oscar. The song is a fabulously overblown ballad. One of the other nominees that year was "I'll Never Stop Loving You," a tender ballad written for *Love Me Or Leave Me.* It was sung by Doris Day in the movie and recorded by her.

The biggest signifier of Diva and Mensch for these two songs is the arrangement: "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" has a garish arrangement and a late-in-the-game key change that sends it even further over the top. "I'll Never Stop Loving You" is scored for just voice and piano: tender, personal, intimate.